Individual toothbrush sterilizer



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INDIVIDUAL TOOTHBRUSH STERILIZER Nov 25 R924- have invented certain new and useful Im\ Patented Noazs, 1924.

SAMUEL WEINRIIB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INDIVIDUAL TOOTHBRUSH STERILIZER.

Application filed April 4, 1924. Serial No. 704,202.

T 0 all 'whom t may concern.'

Bc it known that I, SAMUEL WEINRIB, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York,

provements in an Individual Toothbrush Sterilizer, of which the following is a speciication.

My present invention relates generally to a tooth brush holder and sterilizer and more particularly to an arrangement whereby I provide an individual container for the toothbrush so arranged and constructed as to automatically sterilize the toothbrush that is contained therein..

It is a well-known fact that tooth brushes even before being used and more particularly after having been used, exhibit to a marked degree the presence of germ life. of various characters. In addition to this, the arrangement commonly employed Iwhereby a number of toothbrushes are suspended or held in closely adjacent position as to permit them to Contact necessarily is an extremely unhygienic one, and is not conducive to the well-being of the individual who uses a toothbrush.

One of the important objects of my invention, therefore, is to provide in the first place, an arrangement whereby individual containers are provided for each brush, and in addition, an arrangement whereby the toothbrush contained therein is automatically sterilized while in position in the container. Attempts made hitherto to attain such endshave been in the form of constructions which either in themselves are complicated, and therefore' expensive to manufacture, and inconvenient to use, and in addition I have found that the sterilizing action of such container is inedective for a number of reasons.

Another important object of my invention, therefore, is a provision of a container of this character, which' will be simple in construction and efiicient in operation.

As the problem of the size and contour of the container is an important one, arising particularlyfrom the fact that co-ntainers of this character occupy space at home, and particularly in travelling necessarily take up space in the travelling case or bag, one of the important objects of my invention is directed to making these containers not only attractive in themselves, but also advantav geous from the standpoint of space which they occupy.

Another vone of the important objects of my invention is the-provision of an arrangement whereby on the one hand the insertion ofthe brush will induce an added steril- 1z1ng effect, and on the other hand, the removal of the brush, when it is desired to employ it, shall be as simple and automatic as is possible.

The object of my invention, generally, is the prov1s1on of a. simple, inexpensive combined arrangement which will form a container .for a brush and which will, at the same time, automatically sterilize the brush contained therein, and will permit of its ready insertion and removal therefrom.

For the attainment of these objects and of such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, I have illustrated the embodiments of my invention wherein- Fig. 1 is a section longitudinally through the container showing the brush in position;

Flg. 2 1s a section through the lower end o f the brush taken at right angles to the sectlon along which Fig. 1 is taken;

Fig. 3 1s a perspective view of the tablet which I employ;

Fig. 4 is. a vertical section through the lower end of a modied form of my invention, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower end of such modified form with the tablet removed from the container body.

Upon viewing Fig. l it will be observed that my container is preferably in the form of a cylindrical body 10, made of a material such as brass, and having its end 11 permanently closed and with its other end closed by a cover member 12 pivoted thereto by the hinge 13.

The cap member 12 which may, if desired, be made of the same material as that of which the body member 10 is made, is provided with indentations or depressions 13, two such depressions being illustrated in the drawings and positioned at points 180 removed from eachother, although as will be understood, the objects of my invention will be effectively attained with a greater or lesser number. These depressions 13 may be formed in any desired or approved manner as by stamping and as will be observed upon viewing Fig. 2 of the drawing, they are directed lnwardly So as to constrict more or i less the width of the cap 12 for purposes that sitlon itself wholly below the depressions 13.

will shortly a ear.

' In Fig. 3, Ipdhow one form of atablet 15 which I associate with the cap 12 and which tablet may be in any desired or preferred form, such as a flat cylinder, and which tablet 15 is provided with cut out ortions 16, positioned along the sides thereo 180 apart and are of a shape and contour so that when the tablet is inserted into the cap, these cut out ortions 16 can be made to register with the epressions 13 in the cap so as to permit the tablet 15 when so registered to pass these depressions 13, the height of the tablet being such that the tablet as a whole will po- When, therefore, the tablet 15 is inserted in the cap 12 in the manner pointed out,- and the .tablet given an axial movement with reference to the cap so as to position the cut out portions 16 out of register with the depressions 13, the tablet will vbe held in the cap against accidental removal, and to make this arrangement more effective to prevent such accidental falling out .or removal, the height of the tablet 15 is so related to the posltion of the projections 13 above the bottom of the cap, that the top of the tablet 15 will be immediately below these projections so that the tablet will be held in the cap so as to prevent the tablet having any free up and down movement therein.

Upon viewing Fig. 1, it will be observed that the hinge 13 is so positioned that when the cap is swung abo/ut the hinge to its closed positionythe lower end of the container body 10 will project into the cap 12 for a substantial distance, and by inturning thelower end ofthe body member inwardly as shown at 17, this lower end will tend to hold the tablet 15 in the cap should the tablet work around to a ositlon where the cut out portions 16 register with the projections 13'. This, I attain by bringing the lower end of the cap to a position immediately adjacent the upper ends of the projections 13, as will clearly be understood when Fig. 2 is studied, andl as shown in this figure, this lower end of the cap 17 is preferably positioned in contact with the projections 13 although this exact arrangement is not essenlial to attain broadly the functions which I eslre.

At the end of the body member 10 oppof site to that to which the cap 12 is hinged and adjacent the closed end 11, I provide a suspension means such as the clip 19 arranged to suspend the container with the cap end 12 downwardly for purposes that will also appear.

In the employment of my invention, the toothbrush is inserted into the container through its bottom or open end with the bristle end 20 lowermost, and the cap 12 then movedv to its closed position, in which effective.

position the bristle head 20 will rest directly upon the tablet 15. The tablet 15 is in the form of a solid mass which contains chemicals ofJ a character which will Va orize either normally., orvmore particularly 1n the presence of water, and as will now be understood, the position of the brush in the holder as'shownvin Fig. 1 will tend to cause the drippings from the toothbrush bristles to fall upon the tablet 15 to make the sterilizing action of the tablet 15 particularly closing the container, as pointed out, will' cause the brush to impact with a slight jar, the tablet 15 so as tofstill further increase the sterilizing action.

In addition to this, the act of- By positioning the suspending means 19 at the permanently closed end 11 of they con tainer, I have provided an arrangement whereby the brush is associated with the tablet, as pointed out, and as illustrated in the drawing automatically, so that the employment of the suspending means for the rush positions the parts automatically, `as desired. The removal of the brush from the container is also by my arrangement rendered particularly easy and effective, since with the container suspended by the clip 19, the act of moving the cap 12 about its pivot 13 to an open position will automatically cause the brush to drop into the hand.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have illustrated a modified form of my invention where I have the ca 12 take the form of a replaceable iil 'er so that when it is desired to replace the tablet 15, it can be done by merely removing the cap and substituting a new cap therefor. The filler 15 in Figs. 4 and 5 may be of the type shown in Fig. 3, and may be provided with cut out portions registering with depressions 13 in the cap, as in the modification as described, or may be in a form in which the filler is permanently associated with the cap 12', and I have illustrated in the drawings a preferred form whereby this cap 12 can be associated with thel container 10 as to be readily detachable therefrom and attachable thereto for replacement purposes.

' Secured to this body member 10 in anyV desired or preferred manner is the hinge 25 which has the hinge leaf or plate 26 hinged thereto and upon the outer face of this hin e leaf or plate 26 is the protuberance 2 which forms one element of a snap fastener, y

26 forced into the space referred to, the snap elements 27' and 28 will co-act to maintain this cap in position against accidental removal, and the .hinge 13 will then serve as a hinge for this cap just as does the hinge 13 for the cap 12 in the embodiment as described.

In this manner, I provide a cap which, on the one hand, acts in all respects like that of the cap of Fig. 1 and at the same time which can be readily removed when it is desired to replace it with another cap having therein a new tablet.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a device of the character described, in combination a container adapted to receive and hold a toothbrush, a closure for the container, means for pivotally supporting the closure from the container, said closure being in the form of a container adapted to hold and be recharged with a sterilizing agent, said pivotal mounting for the clo sure permitting of the bodily removal and replacement of .the closure whereby rccharg ing of the closure container is facilitated.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a container adapted to receive and hold a toothbrush, a closure for the container in the form of a container adapted to be recharged with and holding a sterilizing agent, a hinged member pivoted to the brush container and a separable association between the closure and the hinged member whereby recharging of said closure member is facilitated by removal thereof.

3. In a device of the character described, 'in combmation, a container adapted to receive and hold a toothbrush, a closure for the container in the form of a container adapted to. be charged with and removably holding therein a sterilizing agent, a hinged member ivoted to the brush container and a separa le association between the closure and the hinged member, said association comprising clasp elements on the pivoted hinge leaf or plate and on the closure, whereby recharging of said closure member is facilitated by removal thereof.

4f. In a device of the character described, in combination, a container adapted to receive and hold a toothbrush, a closure therefor pivoted to the container and freely open thereto, said closure being in the form of a container and projections on the inside of the closure for holding therein a sterilizing agent, said projections being below the upper, outer edge of the container and the container having its lower end reduced in diameter and arranged to be received within thel closure.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a container adapted to receive and hold a toothbrush, a closure therefor pivoted to the container, and freely open thereto, said closure being in the form of a container and projections on the inside of the closure for holding therein a sterilizing agent, said projections being below the upper, outer edge of the container and the container having its lower end reduced in diameter and arranged to be received within the closure, and said lower edge of the container being positioned adjacent the upper ends of the projections.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

SAMUEL W EINRIB. 

